


Time Heals All (Especially if you Cheat)

by defying3reason



Category: Booster Gold (Comics), The Flash (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Fix-It, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-08
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2017-11-24 05:26:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/630926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defying3reason/pseuds/defying3reason
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pre-boot. Booster Gold has orders to keep the Pied Piper, the living vessel of the anti-life equation, alive at all costs for the sake of a future crisis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Fate, not choice, had brought Hartley Robert Rathaway and Michael Jon Carter together. At least, that's how it seemed at the time.

Hartley had caught wind of a devious plot that would have leveled entire cities if it was carried out, but he couldn't stop the wannabe supervillains alone. Thing was, all the heroes thought he was a crook, and all the crooks _knew_ he wasn't.

Just when he'd despaired of finding anyone to help him "save the world", there'd been a flash of light and suddenly Booster Gold was lying on top of him.

"Oof!" went Booster and Piper.

"Sorry. We usually have better aim than that." Booster flashed Piper a dazzling apologetic smile and, for a delusional heartbeat, Piper thought it was James returned from the dead.

God knows James had aimed that 'forgive me because I'm pretty' smile at him often enough.

"Uh…alright. Do you mind getting off of me now?" Despite the costume, Piper didn't immediately recognize Booster Gold. But odder things had happened to him than having a handsome blond costumed adventurer fall onto him while he was reading in bed. He could roll with it.

"Huh? Oh yeah, one sec." Booster climbed off the bed, got to his feet, and ran his hands through his fine blond hair.

The primping triggered something in Piper's brain, and he recalled a conversation he and Wally had had several years ago.

 

" _Oh yeah, so dude, the League's like really different from what it was back in Uncle Barry's day. Seriously, no one will hassle you for being an ex-villain." Wally was trying (unsuccessfully) to convince Piper to go to a Christmas party at the Watchtower._

" _I somehow doubt that," Piper snapped._

" _No, really! Well, Guy will probably be an asshole, but he's always like that. No one takes it personally. Ice is almost enough of a sweetheart to make up for him anyway, and Fire's just plain awesome at a party. And then Booster and Beetle-"_

" _Wally,_ no thank you _."_

" _But-but…I need your help with something! See…Booster and Beetle are, like, really good friends."_

_Piper winced, having a feeling about where this was going. "Uh huh."_

" _No, I mean like_ really _good friends. Like…"_

_Piper waited, even though it was obvious Wally was hoping he'd cut in. Finally, flustered, Wally blurted it out. "We all think they're gay together, but they won't come out. And everyone knows my gaydar's broken. Can you…?"_

" _No."_

" _Oh come on!"_

_And then Wally proceeded to expound all the reasons he thought Blue Beetle and Booster Gold were sleeping together. He left Piper unconvinced, but then, Piper was resisting mostly based on Wally's insistence on interpreting the gay community strictly through stereotypes ("Booster's all, like, obsessed with his looks! That's gay, isn't it?" "Wally, you dress better than I do. By your own criteria, you must have way more butt sex than me." Dude, that's just gross.")_

 

Piper stared at the man opposite him, pretty sure he was the one Wally had been talking about, but not one hundred percent certain. "Uh…Booster Gold?" Piper mumbled the name, making the syllables as garbled as possible in case he was wrong.

Booster looked annoyed about it. "Yes Booster Gold!" He snapped it out with diction as perfect as Piper's had been sloppy. "Come on, you were friends with West! I've worked with him! He must have mentioned me at least once."

Considering what Wally had actually said, Booster probably would have preferred it if he hadn't (unless Wally was actually right). Piper made a noncommittal noise, and Booster paced and grumbled under his breath.

It went on for kind of awhile, actually, but it wasn't nearly as discomfiting as the little yellow robot whizzing around the room.

"Perhaps you should inform Mr. Rathaway of our mission Booster," the robot suggested.

"Can't say I'd mind an explanation," Piper said. "Strange men don't often teleport into my room."

"Oh, I didn't teleport."

"It looked like a teleportation to me."

"Well it wasn't. It was time travel."

Piper squinted. "You're from the future? But you don't look that old."

For some reason, Booster looked really insulted by that. "Oh, way to assume! I'm not from the future. I mean, I am, but not-I actually just came back to your present from the past, okay? And why'd you assume future anyway? How old do you think I am?"

"Uh…I'd thought you were about my age." Somewhere between him and Wally, anyway.

"So you do think I look old!"

"Well your hair's thinning a bit in the back."

That one got him off on a tangent again. He didn't calm down again until his robot friend reminded him that he had a job to do.

Booster seemed to appreciate how much of an agitation his sudden appearance must have been. Piper was sitting on his bed with his blankets half-spilled on the floor, wearing an old t-shirt and boxers, his book bent with torn pages on the floor by Booster's feet.

"I'm here to help you save the world."

"Oh. I'd given up on getting back-up. I was just going to do it alone."

"Nah, you can't do that." Booster started walking around the room, bending over and going through Piper's few belongings. "Where's your gear? We should start working out a plan."

Piper suddenly seized on the significance of Booster being a time traveler. "What, does it not work if I go alone?"

"Works fine, you save millions of lives. But not your own, and that's the issue. You're too much of a martyr for your own good."

"James used to say that," Piper whispered before he caught himself.

"Who's James?" Booster asked.

The robot started to propose a few possibilities, but stopped at the look Piper gave it. Slowly he shook his head, then he stood up and started packing.

* * *

They saved the cities from the villains with very little trouble, up until the end. That's when one of them got off the shot that was supposed to kill Piper.

Booster jumped in the way, shoving Piper to safety in one smooth motion. All Piper could see was James taking those bullets for him. He certainly wasn't seeing the reality, that Booster had shielding and that he was fine. He might as well have been lying in a bloody heap on the floor.

Piper only came to himself again when Booster shook his shoulders, yelling his name repeatedly. Piper, who had never grieved properly for his dead friend that had sacrificed far too much for him, collapsed in a sobbing heap.

* * *

"So you said we need him for that Crisis?" Michael asked.

"Uh huh." Rip didn't bother looking up from the computer screen, as they'd already had this conversation. "Rathaway was meant to discover the full extent of his powers so that he could use them. It's absolutely essential to the integrity of the timeline. Otherwise why bother have him be anything more than a benign hypnotist? That's all he cared to be."

Not for the first time, Michael got the feeling the time master wasn't really talking to him.

"Alright, well, if Rathaway needs to live to see that Crisis, I think we're going to need to keep him with us."

"Rani isn't enough for you?"

As Rip well knew, the energetic little girl was more than enough for him, which was why Michelle and Rip looked after her more than Michael did.

"I couldn't care one way or the other. It's not like the guy is much in the way of company anyhow, and that's the problem, Rip. He's just waiting to die. If we leave him to his own devices, he will."

For once, Rip seemed to be carefully considering Michael's input. He pulled up some form of data file Michael couldn't make sense of and muttered under his breath until he saw something that gave him a start. "Well I'll be damned. You're right."

"It happens from time to time," Skeets cut in.

Michael rolled his eyes.

"Rathaway lost the will to live just before the second to most recent Crisis, right around the time he learned of his connection to the anti-life equation. The man wants to die helping others, but at this point he doesn't care if it's saving existence or just somebody's pet in a burning building."

"Right, so if we don't want our anti-life vessel sacrificing his life for Fido…"

Rip nodded. "We'll clear out a room for him."

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks Piper and Booster started spending a lot of time together. Booster was a bit confused about sending the suicidal emotional train wreck on dangerous missions, but it was soon clear that Rip had calculated missions that were building Piper's confidence back up. After a few weeks, he started to show signs of having a sense of purpose again.

And when Hartley Rathaway felt confident, he was actually a funny, snarky bastard. The banter they shared while running for their lives or fighting the good fight was so familiar and came so easy…

It was almost like…

No. It was nothing like that because _nothing_ could ever be that but _that_.

Piper was fun though.

* * *

"So what happened to him?"

"A lot." Yet again, Rip refused to divert his attention while Michael talked to him, though this time he was cooking mac and cheese for Rani as opposed to time master research.

Michael enjoyed being brushed off about as much as always. "A lot's happened to all of us. What made him, you know…give up?"

"Rani, dinner's done!"

"I'm not done with my lesson yet!" came the shrill answer from the next room.

"You have ten minutes to finish up!"

"Lesson?" Michael asked.

"Hartley's teaching her how to play piano. Look Michael…if you want to know more about the guy then just ask him. He'll answer you know. He's been waiting for someone to talk to."

Michael distinctly did not like the prospect of questioning a guy about his trauma. "Can't you do it?"

"Well that'd be pretty pointless as I already know."

"But you won't tell me?"

"No."

Michael scowled. "Even if I make a pest of myself?"

"You really need a more creative threat than something you already do unintentionally. Rani, your mac and cheese is getting cold and when it's cold it congeals!"

"If I annoy you unintentionally, I'll drive you nuts when I step it up on pur-"

"Hi Boppy! Piper said congealed is bad. Can I have my dinner now?" Rani asked, appearing suddenly and cutting Michael off. Not wanting to push things in front of the little girl, Michael stalked off, exuding bitterness.

Piper joined Rip and Rani in the kitchen, though the instant mac and cheese only got a look of disgust from him. He sat down at the table with an apple and a bottle of iced tea instead. "Booster looked upset about something. Is everything alright?"

"He always gets grumpy when he talks to Boppy," Rani explained.

Rip smirked. "She's not wrong. Don't worry about it, Hartley. He'll get over himself."

"If you say so."

* * *

It took a few more weeks and several more romps through time before Booster did as suggested and just struck up a conversation about Piper's painful past. It was their situation more than anything that made him go for it.

They'd been sent to Central City something like fifteen years into the past. Booster noticed Piper acting a little odd, even for him, but it took him until Piper suggested they grab some snacks from a bakery he loved that was closed in the present for Booster to figure out that they were on the guy's home turf. So they got some pastries, and then Piper took him to a spot on the Keystone side of the river. They were sitting on a low stone wall facing Central.

Piper picked at the cookie sandwich he'd been so excited about ordering, melancholy gaze fixed on the lights of the city.

"Everything okay?"

"Hm?" He gave a small start, followed by a slow sigh. "I was just thinking…you see that light over on the hill in the back? It's the only one on that side of the hill."

Booster squinted, following Piper's pointing finger. "Yeah, I think so."

"That's my parents' mansion. By this time of night, they're getting ready for bed. If we went there…and told them to be out of town on a certain day about ten years into their future-"

"It wouldn't work," Booster said sadly, surprised it had taken this long for them to be having this conversation. He'd bugged Rip about it the first chance he'd gotten, when they were in a lull from nearly continuous action.

"But…that's what we're doing. We're running through time righting wrongs and saving people."

"I know," Booster said. "I've tried though. I was a real pain in the ass about it and eventually Rip sent me on a fight I couldn't win." He explained about what he'd gone through, trying to save Barbara from the Joker's bullet. "Some things just _have_ to happen a certain way. Rip guides us to the wrongs we actually can right."

"Oh." Piper paused, thinking that through. "It just…seems so easy to save them though. I mean, what happened to my parents, it didn't set off any important historical reverberations. Unless it's just absolutely necessary that I hate myself for getting them killed."

"I'm sorry Piper. If I thought it would do anything more than put you through the agony of bitterly destroyed hope, I'd say let's go for it. I haven't brought back any of the people I wanted to though. It really doesn't work, and it hurts even worse when you get that close to saving them."

Piper stuffed his pastry in the bag, clearly no longer in the mood for sweets.

"Piper, you know, if you wanna talk about, um… _anything-_ "

He quirked an eyebrow in response. "Rip didn't tell you about my robot ears, did he?" It was clear from the horrified expression on Booster's face that no, Rip had not. "I've heard most of what you've said about me, Michael. Your observations aren't wrong. I…had given up. I understand why that would make you curious."

"It's not just curiosity-" Booster started, but stopped when Piper suddenly darted forward and slammed him to the ground with an arm over his chest. "Oof!"

Booster landed flat on his back with Piper on top of him. The skinny guy knew how to use his unimpressive weight to full advantage, because he had Booster soundly pinned. Piper pressed one hand over Booster's mouth, then planted the other so he could lean back and look over his shoulder.

They stayed that way for kind of a while. Booster tried to ask what was going on, and Piper violently shushed him. And finally, Booster heard the voices coming their way too. More specifically, he heard Piper's voice, fifteen years younger, strong, commanding, and ringing with conviction.

"They're driving me fucking insane!" And more profanity than Booster had yet to hear from the older version.

"You can't let them get under your skin dude. They're being assholes _to be_ assholes." The other voice was young too, but much more pleasant. The companion sounded like a fun guy, while kid-Piper sounded a bit dramatic.

Booster really wanted to sit up so he could spy on them. He was dying to see what Piper had looked like as a twenty something.

Course, getting present-Piper off of him was a good idea in its own right anyway. This was not a man Booster wanted lying crotch to crotch with him.

They listened to the kids bicker about their coworkers, and all of the woes in Piper's young life. His friend, James or Tricks (both used interchangeably), tried his best to get his friend to crack a smile. It didn't work. Kid-Piper seemed pretty determined to remain miserable.

Present-Piper rolled off of Booster and dropped his head to his arms, breathing shakily. Careful not to be seen, Booster sat up and inched his way closer to the wall so he could peer over it.

Piper, it turned out, had been kinda hot as a young man. It's not that he was ugly in the present, but at present he was carrying the physical effects of fifteen years' worth of trauma that his younger self wasn't burdened with. Looking at the underweight tech nerd trying not to hyperventilate in the grass, Booster never would have expected him to have been that handsome (and aware of it, based on the way he held himself and the haughtiness he exuded).

His friend was a looker too (Booster mentally cursed his plentiful wavy blond hair). Actually, the guy looked a little like him. He and this James could have passed for brothers.

Young-Piper suddenly turned in their direction, an intrigued look on his face.

"Piper, you okay?" James asked.

"I guess. C'mon Tricks, let's get out of here." Then, in a low voice, "I don't really want to know what those guys are doing behind that wall."

Booster and Piper waited for the two young men to get further enough away for even Piper's enhanced hearing to pick them up. Piper remained on the ground, hiding his face in the crook of his arm, while Booster sat up and leaned against the wall.

"I should have thanked him for trying," Piper finally choked out. "He was always trying to cheer me up, make me laugh, and I never appreciated it. Even the teasing and the barbs kept me from giving up. I never told him what he did for me."

"I think he knew. I mean, he kept going, didn't he?" Booster offered.

Piper sat up. His face was pale. He'd lost the yellow tinted glasses at some point, and his large blue eyes were like bruises, like open wounds advertising his pain.

"I miss him," he whispered.

That's when Booster realized the depth of their connection. "Me too." Though of course, he wasn't talking about James Jesse.

* * *

Booster really wasn't as dumb as most people thought, but he could be a little slow on the uptake.

Even though the Crisis they'd saved Piper for never seemed to materialize, he didn't question it. He enjoyed the time spent with his new partner, enjoyed their banter, and made sure to have more serious conversations with the guy, so that if anything happened there wouldn't be all those things left unsaid.

Booster didn't figure out that there was no big Crisis requiring the intervention of the vessel of the anti-life equation until Rip sent them on a journey into _his_ past.

And suddenly Booster was once again taunted with the sight of his best friend, alive and well, walking down the hall at his younger self's side, giving him shit about something or other. Booster didn't care enough to identity the exact subject; he was too distracted by that plunging sensation he got whenever he saw Ted again.

He and Piper were hiding in a corridor just out of sight. Piper looked amused about something.

Then Booster realized Ted was laying into his younger self about Gladys.

"So you were married?" Piper murmured.

Booster's eyes were still on younger-Booster and Ted, but they were almost out of sight. "Yeah, it was a financial move, but not a very well thought out one. That bat's probably going to outlive me and somehow I'm the one that got stuck paying alimony when we split."

"Uh huh. You were cute before your hairline started receding"

"Hey!" Booster elbowed him in the stomach. Piper crushed his face into Booster's shoulder to muffle his laughter. "It's allegedly thinning in the back- _allegedly_. The front is _not_ receding."

Piper looked up at him, face shining with laughter, and Booster vividly recalled the haughty young man he used to be.

That ache that he'd carried with him ever since losing Ted quieted. For the first time in ages, though he still missed his friend and doubtless always would, it wasn't quite so consuming.

Oh. Maybe he _was_ as dumb as people thought.

* * *

And meanwhile, back in the present, Rip was cutting the crusts off a sandwich for Rani, trying not to be creeped out by the fact that he'd essentially hooked his parents up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Found this in my drafts and decided I might as well finish this story, since apparently I wrote an entire second chapter that I just never posted. I'll get to work on the third chapter shortly.
> 
> Also, reading your old writing can be painful. And what was it with me and unnecessary love triangles?

Booster and Piper were making out in a maintenance closet five years in the past in the old Super Buddies building when Skeets found them. The robot chipperly informed them that their presence was no longer needed in the past, as they’d accomplished the mission objectives.

Piper smirked. “I’m tempted to feel indignant about the way we were both blatantly manipulated by Rip but…” He twined his fingers with Booster’s.

“The results weren’t bad. This time, anyway,” Booster said, heartily agreeing with Piper. Booster kissed him again, and then the two men returned with Skeets to the present.

* * *

 

There was a note on the fridge when they got in. Rip had taken Rani out to the movies, and some texting revealed that Michelle was similarly occupied.

Skeets hovered nearby, changing altitudes rapidly in a flying robot’s version of jittery pacing. “Shall I find some pretense to leave as well, sir?”

Booster leered at Piper. “Sounds like a plan to me, Skeets.”

“Goodnight, Skeets,” Piper added, without looking away from Booster’s heated gaze. The robot chirped a parting, then took its leave out of an open window. Piper finally turned, instinctually watching the shiny metal object whizzing past his head and into the distance, when Booster came up behind him and started kissing along his neck, sending shivers up his spine.

God. A tall, gorgeous, muscular athlete wanted him. Piper was tempted to take the time sphere on a joy ride just so he could tell his high school self that it does indeed get better.

“Mm…Michael…we should, should probably talk first.”

Booster left his arms wrapped securely around Piper, but broke off the kisses. “About…?”

“Us?” Piper put forth, thinking it was obvious. “You just kinda jumped me out of nowhere back in that closet.”

“You kissed back. I figured you were okay with it,” Booster said defensively.

“Oh, I am. Exceptionally okay with it, actually.” He managed to pry Booster’s hands apart, loosening his grip so that he could turn in his arms. He wanted Booster to see his smile, knowing that it would mean a lot, as Michael was one of the only people who knew how rare a genuine expression of joy had been for him.

The smile he got in return was breathtaking.

“It’s not a problem,” Piper continued. “I just want to know…well, why? What do you want?”

“You,” Booster answered with simple sincerity. “Was that a trick question?”

“No…” Piper sighed. “Look…it’s, it’s been awhile since anyone’s shown any interest in me, and besides that, we’re really good friends now. I don’t want to lose my friendship with you, Michael. It’s really all I’ve got.”

Booster brushed his hand down Piper’s cheek. “You won’t. I know things have been tough for you, and that you’re used to the worst possible outcome happening to you, but…we were set up by a time master. That’s gotta say something.”

He leaned in for another kiss, and this time Piper let him deepen it. Oh but Booster could kiss. Piper was perfectly willing to follow his lead, leaning in at the slightest touch, parting his lips under Booster’s direction, and being rewarded with a skillful tongue bringing him sensations he hadn’t felt in years (and even then, Piper had never made out with anyone like Booster Gold in his life-a pastry chef and an architect were worlds of difference).

Booster abruptly ended the kiss, eyes shining with amusement when Piper leaned after him without catching on. “So, done complaining, Piper?”

“Oh don’t be an ass.” Piper grabbed his arm and yanked him up to the bedroom.

* * *

“So _that’s_ what I’ve been missing.”

Piper was sitting at the end of Booster’s bed, watching his new lover lounge gloriously naked in the tangled sheets. He couldn’t help but laugh at the comment. “Did I pop your gay cherry then? I’d been wondering about that. You seemed a little knowledgeable for your first time.”

Booster leaned up on his elbows. “I dated a few guys before, but I only went all the way once, and I was a kid at the time so…yeah. Haven’t dated many guys since I got to your time though. My pick-up lines work a little better on 21st century girls than boys, for whatever reason. I did not have those issues in my own century.”

“I can’t imagine a gay club in the world where you wouldn’t be mobbed with attention as soon as you walked through the door.”

A look of shock crossed Booster’s face. “There are special clubs for gays in your time?”

Piper actually fell over he was laughing so hard. Booster pulled him into his arms and kissed the crease by his eye. “Even though it’s aimed at me, it’s really good to see you laugh, Hartley.”

“Sorry, sorry. I just can’t believe you didn’t know about gay clubs.”

“Well we didn’t have them in my century. We just had clubs. For everyone.”

“That sounds nice.” Piper was visibly intrigued by the idea. He nuzzled up against Booster’s neck and started tracing patterns on his chest with his fingers. “Does that mean homosexuality is better received in the future?”

“Depends where you are, but for the most part yeah.”

Booster carded his fingers through Piper’s hair, and his eyes drifted shut. He very much appreciated the petting. Between the feel of those strong arms around him, the heartbeat against his ear, and the myriad other sensations that went with physical affection, Piper was feeling content in a way that had become unfamiliar. He hadn’t even realized how lonely he was, having been alone so long that he’d forgotten measures of comparison.

Then, of all things, the doorbell rang.

Piper frowned. “I’m a little surprised you guys even have one of those.”

Booster shrugged. “First time I’ve heard it. Well, we’re the only ones home. I guess I’d better answer it.”

“Yes, but we’re also naked and therefore busy. I think we should ignore it.”

“And I’m getting a little scared that someone’s behaving less responsibly than me. This isn’t exactly a normal house with normal people in it. It could be something important.” Booster kissed Piper’s temple, then climbed out of bed and dug around in his dresser until he retrieved a clean pair of pants. “I’ll be right back, but feel free to stay naked.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Piper stretched out in bed, letting out a sigh of contentment and very much looking forward to his new lover’s return. The bed was warm from his body heat, and the pillows smelled like Booster’s tacky aftershave and his hair gel.

He listened as Booster jogged down the stairs, then over towards the front door. Piper could just barely hear the person on the other side of the door, so it wasn’t Rip and Rani getting home (he supposed Rip could have forgotten a key or something), and it didn’t sound like Michelle, but there was something familiar about that heartbeat and the nervous little exhalations.

Then the door was flung open. “Hey, whatever it is can this be qui-holy hell, what happened to you?”

“I was shot in the face and chest and had my hand cut off, but thanks for asking. Can I come inside please?”

Piper shot up, then fell out of the bed in his haste to get clothes on. He didn’t know how it was possible, nor did he really care, he just knew he needed to get downstairs as soon as possible and confirm with his eyes what his ears had already told him: James Jesse was back from the dead.

Piper took the stairs two at a time. In retrospect, he was a bit surprised he didn’t break his neck rushing downstairs with his costume thrown on so hastily that his half cape was dragging by his knees, in very real danger of tripping him. Booster was squinting at James, scrutinizing the crazy guy in the bloodied up vertical stripes, when Piper ran past him and threw his arms around James’ neck. He immediately started sobbing into James’ shoulder.

James’ reaction was similarly emotional. He squeezed Piper tight, letting out a yelp that almost sounded painful. “Oh God Hart, you’re okay! I thought I was never going to see you again!”

“James! How did…why did…oh fuck, we’ll talk later.” Piper squeezed him harder. His face was wet with tears, but he didn’t care. He’d thought he’d never get to see his friend again; the people Piper cared about never got the resurrections.

They’d both completely forgotten about Booster until he gave a little stage cough. James turned away from Piper, eyes raking over the shirtless, well developed, and incredibly handsome blond man, sizing him up. Then he looked back at Piper and took note of how disheveled his clothes were (not to mention the sizable hickey on his neck-and really, did they think they were fifteen year olds or something?!) “Piper, who’s your, ahem, _friend_?”

“Oh, James, this is Booster Gold. Booster, this is James Jesse, the Trickster. Uh…you remember me talking about him, right?”

Booster nodded, also clearly sizing James up. He didn’t seem to appreciate the possessive body language Trickster had going on. “Hey.” He nodded at James, then looked at Piper. “I thought you said he’d died?”

“I did,” James said simply. “But when I got to the other side I was able to bargain my way back to the land of the living. I scored some brownie points saving existence from a demon king a couple of times.” He abruptly turned away from Booster and grasped Piper’s hand, transfixing him with a sincere (and quite pretty) clear blue gaze. “I also earned myself some downtime to get some things in order, apparently. Once I was zapped back to Earth, I was given instructions on where to find you. Hartley…I have so much I need to tell you. I was about to tell you when, well when we got interrupted. Is there somewhere we can go, and-”

“Hey! Hey-hey-whoa-hey! Just a minute you!” Booster grabbed James’  remaining hand and threw it back down to his side, away from Piper. “ _We_ still have a conversation to finish up.”

“W-we do?” Piper asked, looking a bit dazed. He blinked a few times, then turned to Booster. “We already talked, didn’t we?”

“Kind of, but I didn’t think I’d need to rush the conversation.” He glared over his shoulder at James. “Before you go anywhere alone with this guy, I want us to define a few things.”

“Okay…”

“I’m nuts about you, I think we’d be good for each other, that sex was fantastic, and I want to have a lot more of it. We on the same page?” Booster asked. He kind of wished he could see James’ reaction, but he was too intensely focused on Piper (who, other than some faint flushing, was visibly pleased with Booster’s declaration).

“Yes, Michael, we are.”

And again, Booster kind of wanted to see James’ reaction, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight of his new boyfriend. Booster pulled Piper close for a passionate (and possessive) kiss, then, with a satisfied smirk thrown over his shoulder, he started walking upstairs. “All right then. You guys can conduct your business in private.”

As soon as he was gone James visibly deflated. He looked like something was eating his insides. “I took too long.”

“James? You weren’t really going to…”

“Confess my feelings for you?” James let out a hollow laugh. “I took _bullets_ for you, Hartley. I don’t know how to say it any more eloquently than that. I love you, and I’m pretty sure I have for a long time. I just couldn’t get over my bullshit until we were actually looking at death. That cleared a lot up for me.”

Piper gaped at him, waiting for the punch line, but even with his shit self-esteem he couldn’t really conceive of how James could turn something like this into a joke.

And then he got defensive.

“You know, there are much more productive ways to express your feelings for someone than to wait until you’re looking at death and jump in the way. You could have told me at any point before that, instead of ripping on my sexuality and making me feel like ass. You weren’t even a very good friend by the end, so don’t give me that look. I don’t owe you anything-”

“Except your life,” James snapped.

Piper clenched his fists. His hands were shaking. “I didn’t ask you to do that. I wish you hadn’t.” He turned on his heel and ran upstairs to his room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

“Boppy, there’s a stranger in the living room.”

Rip had gone straight for his office when he’d gotten home, having sent Rani upstairs for bath time. He swiveled his chair around to face the little girl. “What do you mean there’s a stranger in the living room? Aren’t Michael and Hartley home?”

“They’re not in the living room, but the stranger is. He waved hi and asked me to watch cartoons with him.”

Scowling, Rip got up and went to investigate himself.

Lo and behold, there was indeed a man Rani did not know sitting on the couch watching Looney Tunes, but he wasn’t a stranger to Rip (though at this point in the timeline, Rip was certainly a stranger to him). “Hello, Trickster.”

“Hm? Oh hey. Are you Rani’s Boppy? She said she was going to get you, because you own the house.”

“My name’s Rip Hunter.” He looked Trickster over, taking in the man’s disheveled appearance. It looked like he was freshly resurrected. “I’m surprised Hartley didn’t offer you a change of clothes. Michael’s a little thoughtless sometimes, but…”

Trickster shrugged. “I created some tension when I showed up. You don’t have a pair of jeans and a t-shirt I could use, do you?”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.” Rip went upstairs to fetch the requested change of clothes, and found Booster standing in the hallway in front of Piper’s bedroom door. His locked bedroom door, from the looks of it. He bit back a groan and wondered what the hell Michael had done to get Hartley pissed at him already.

Which wasn’t fair. Trickster probably had more to do with it than Michael.

“Hey, you don’t have a way to unlock his door before I go put on my suit and blast it open, do you?” Michael asked, looking irritable. He kicked the door for emphasis.

Rip pinched the bridge of his nose. “He’s a private person, Booster. Just give him some space.”

“I can’t afford to give him space. Not with ‘threw myself into a hail of bullets for you’ competition sitting downstairs on our friggin’ living room sofa.”

“Because he’ll respond so well to you trampling over his feelings to stake your claim.”

Michael glared at him. “Your omniscience is really annoying.”

“Space.”

“Right, right.” Michael went into his own room and kicked the door shut behind him.

Rip got Trickster his requested change of clothes, and found him playing Mario Party with Michelle and Rani.

“I thought you had a date tonight.”

“He stood me up,” Michelle said. “So what’s with the new guy?”

Rip glanced first at his aunt, then his…he supposed Rani was technically his sister, what with Booster being her guardian, and finally back at the Trickster. When he’d taken Booster under his wing, he really hadn’t counted on the man spawning so many extra roommates. “I guess he’s staying with us for now.”

“Cool. I’ll take free shelter,” Trickster said.

Rip tossed the clothes onto his lap. “Who said it was free? If you’re going to live with me, you’re going to work.”

“Does that mean I have to work too, Boppy?”

“Just make your bed every morning and put your dishes in the sink, Rani,” Rip said. “But Trickster can fix time rifts with Piper and Booster.”

“Wait, I can what?” Trickster yelped. While he was distracted, Rani and Michelle easily beat him at a mini game. He set the Wii-mote down and walked over to Rip, giving him his full attention. “Look, if you want me to pitch in, I’ll pitch in. That’s fine. I do want to be near Piper, after all. But if you think I’m going to tag along with him and his new himbo, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Rip narrowed his eyes at Trickster. “Piper and Booster work together. If you want to stay with us, you’re going to work. I know you’re a more intelligent man than you let on, Trickster. I’m sure you’ll follow me on this.”

Trickster glared right back at him, then grabbed the clothes and stomped out of the living room to go get changed. He stomped back in again a moment later. “Uh…where’s the bathroom?”

* * *

Piper wasn’t sure what he was really doing, but the best master plan he could think of was hiding in his room until he figured out how not to hurt Michael or James’ feelings.

So he was probably going to be in there forever, at this rate.

He just didn’t know what to do. He liked Michael an awful lot. They’d developed quite the rapport in the short time they’d worked together, but that was just it. It really had been a short time. He’d known James for years, and he’d cared about him for most of that time.

There was a point, a sad, silly, desperate point, but a point nonetheless, when he’d wanted nothing more than to hear James profess affection for him. It had started just after he’d broken up with Earl, his first serious boyfriend. James had come over every night for a week to distract him (at the end, it turned out that he was making sure Piper would recover from his broken heart in time to help James with a heist, but he hadn’t realized that until he was disabling security for the other crook). While he was suffering from the first of many romantic disappointments, Piper had entertained fantasies about his handsome, charismatic friend.

James had treated him better as a friend than Earl had treated him as a boyfriend. That had only been the beginning of his crush on his “straight” friend. He figured that was why James was so uncomfortable about being shackled to Piper, because he knew, despite Piper’s denials, that he had feelings for him.

It made more sense now though. James hadn’t been worried about Piper; he’d been worried about himself. Piper couldn’t imagine being that afraid of your own sexuality, but James wasn’t the first man he’d met who’d barricaded himself in the closet and he likely wouldn’t be the last.

He’d missed James so much after he’d been killed…

But he and Michael had formed a deep connection.

“Hartley?” Michael’s voice sounded almost feeble as he tried one last attempt at knocking on the door. “Rip said I should give you some space, and I am totally cool with that, but…it’s been like four hours. Can we talk a little yet? Can you just…are you okay?”

Feeling guilty (after all, Michael hadn’t done anything wrong either), Piper unlocked the door and finally opened it a crack. “I’m really sorry, Michael.”

“Hey, it’s okay. If you want to do your space thing and hide and think, I am totally cool with that. Y’know, because I’m a cool, supportive boyfriend who will be attentive to your needs.” He flashed a dazzling smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Piper stroked the side of his face, then leaned up for a kiss. “I think you’ll be a wonderful partner, Michael.”

“For _you_.”

Piper laughed. “Yes, for me. It’s just…I can’t help feeling some regret that James didn’t say anything to me sooner.”

“I’m obviously glad he kept his self-hating mouth shut, but Hartley…you should probably talk to him again before you make your mind up.” He scowled as he said it, obviously not enjoying his potential self-sacrifice. “Like you said before, you guys go way back and that deserves giving him the chance to really say his piece. Besides, when you pick me, I don’t want there to be any lingering doubts in your mind. You deserve a little guilt free happiness after everything you’ve gone through.”

Piper’s breath caught in his throat. None of his partners had ever been so thoughtful of him before. “Th-thank you, Michael.”

Michael pulled him close for another kiss, and Piper returned it with the utmost affection. He felt so natural, leaning into Michael’s embrace, like he’d been meant to be in this man’s arms all along.

Michael carded his hands through Piper’s hair and leaned back, breaking the kiss. “Just wanted to do that one more time in case you make the bad choice. I only met the Trickster once, but from what I remember he can be a devious little shit. And…he did save your life.”

“And you helped me actually live it. Believe me, that's being taken into consideration.” Piper slipped out of his arms, then went downstairs to find James.


End file.
